James Milner hopes England learn the lessons of the 2010 World Cup as they aim for Euro 2012 glory under new head coach Roy Hodgson.

James Milner hopes England learn the lessons of the 2010 World Cup as they aim for Euro 2012 glory under new head coach Roy Hodgson.

Utility player Milner was part of the squad which grossly underachieved in South Africa under Fabio Capello and was eliminated at the second-round stage by Germany.

But the 26-year-old City star believes England can put that behind them for the challenges ahead in Poland and Ukraine.

Milner said: “It was my first World Cup and it was disappointing. Then it’s the summer and it’s such a long time before you get back into football. You can’t even have a good training session to take your mind off things so it’s frustrating.

“I think it’s a good thing, that you think about those and try and improve and learn from what’s happened in the past.

“Then hopefully at the next major tournament you get to, you can cut those mistakes out and improve.”

Capello cited tiredness amongst the England players as a reason for their failure in South Africa but Milner is philosophical about such claims.

He said: “If you’re doing well, then you don’t feel that tired. When you’re winning games, everything seems easy and you don’t feel the fatigue.

“Then you lose a game and you feel as tired as you’ve ever been. It’s a mental thing. It’s natural after playing so many games in a season.

“It’s going to take it out of you when you’re playing every three days and travelling. But every team and country in Europe is the same. They all play a lot of games.”

Milner lost his place in the Blues side at the tail-end of the season when the battle for the Premier League title reached a thrilling finale. But he has thrived on the competition and it is the same when he represents his country.

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